Walk On (U2 song)
"Walk On" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track on their tenth studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000). The song was first released in Canada on 20 February 2001, then was given a UK release in November of the same year; it was the album's second single in Canada and the fourth internationally. The song was written about Burmese academic Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the chairperson of the National League for Democracy and was placed under house arrest from 1989 until 2010 for her pro-democracy activities, which led to the song being banned in Burma. In 2002, the song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, marking the first time an artist had won the award for songs from the same album in consecutive years.
"Walk On"
20 February 2001
2000
HQ (Dublin, Ireland)
- 4:55 (album version)
- 4:09 (single version)
- 4:25 (edited version)
- 4:29 (video version)
U2
In the United States, the song peaked at number 21 on the Adult Top 40, number 19 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and number 10 on the Alternative Songs chart. It also topped the charts in Canada and Portugal, and reached the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Live performances[edit]
The song's uplifting nature led to it being used frequently to close concerts during U2's 2001 Elevation Tour. The song found added resonance as a supportive, uplifting anthem following the September 11th attacks that year in the United States. The band performed it during the America: A Tribute to Heroes[17] television benefit concert on 21 September 2001. The first performance of the song for a live audience following the 11 September attacks was at the University of Notre Dame on 10 October 2001, where the band brought on stage members of the New York City Police and Fire Departments.[18] Live versions of the song were released on the concert films Elevation 2001: Live from Boston, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, and U2 360° at the Rose Bowl. During the Vertigo Tour, it appeared rarely, usually in an acoustic format. It was snippeted after "Running to Stand Still" on the Vertigo Tour at the dates closest to 19 June, the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The song was a regular part of the set list for the U2 360° Tour. Prior to the tour, the band asked fans to bring masks of Suu Kyi to concerts and wear them during performances of "Walk On" in support of her.[19] In some cities such as Hanover, Barcelona, Coimbra and Istanbul, Amnesty International and ONE volunteers went on stage and lined the outer perimeter of it during U2's performance of the song, carrying either Suu Kyi masks or Amnesty International lanterns.[20]
In June 2012, Bono performed the song live for Suu Kyi during the Electric Burma concert in Dublin in her honour.[21] In 2017, the song took new meaning after Suu Kyi's silence on the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. Bono has stated that he has been "nauseated" by Suu Kyi's stance on the issue,[22] the band issued a release condemning her actions,[23] and following performances of "Walk On" have instead dedicated the song to Rohingya Muslims.[24]
Critical reception[edit]
At the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2002, "Walk On" was nominated for two awards: Record of the Year and Best Rock Song.[25] It won for Record of the Year, marking the first time an artist had won the award for songs from the same album in consecutive years; the prior year, U2's song "Beautiful Day" had won the award.[26] At the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003, U2's performance of "Walk On" for the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[27] In 2002, "Walk On" won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically,[28] as well as a Meteor Music Award for Best Irish Rock Single.[29]